2. Military vs. rebels and self-discovery in the desert

Time Period/Location: Set in the future; in a currently unnamed location roughly in the area of New Mexico/Arizona, though the characters eventually go to modern-day Texas.

Brief Plot: Set in a future where misogyny is prevalent, and femininity is considered weakness. Long hair is a symbol of this femininity, so should a woman try to gain power, she must cut her hair. The MC is one of few women who joins the military. She's very much brainwashed, and so at first she is pretty patriotic, and doesn't really care for the mistreatment of people around her. She is taken as a prisoner of war by a group of rebels she was assigned to take out.

Character Description: She is stubborn and obstinate, but is very naive. She is young. She joins the military and is a good fighter, but she does not anticipate the effects of war. She is almost blind, in a sense, but she develops much throughout the course of the story. At first, she is very selfish, but she grows very caring. Physically, she is pale, but freckled, has light blue eyes, and black hair, which she cuts fairly short.

Immediate Family (if relevant): Her mother died in childbirth. Her father is a quiet, solemn man. She has no siblings.

Character Description: Calm, quiet and reserved, stoic even. Practically invisible. Does not smile often. Very intelligent, an excellent strategist. He is fairly short, about MC's height, with very short black hair and dark eyes. Mixed-race.

Immediate family: His parents are still alive, though impoverished, and believe him to be dead. His sister, Ines, as of right now, has unknown whereabouts. He has essentially adopted a fellow revolutionary, Julius, as a younger brother.

Already Considered: He was Gabriel for a long time, but I have lots of "classic", familiar names, so I decided to change it. As of right now, it's Gavriel, but I'm still very unsure.

Character 3: The Victim

Character Description: The first person who makes Rhea see the "bad" in the world around her. She is optimistic, shy and quiet, yet very firm about her beliefs. She embraces her femininity, and decides not to cut her hair when she is drafted, instead pinning it in a way that made it appear short, hiding it in a uniform helmet, and passing as a boy for a short period of time. She befriends the MC, but mysteriously disappears. MC is told that she went MIA, but she discovers otherwise. Small and slight, auburn hair, hazel eyes.